


To Bite The Hand That Feeds

by rainbowchristy



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Arguing, Family Secrets, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24520408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowchristy/pseuds/rainbowchristy
Summary: Daniel Howell is a lycan, his and his family's secret safe from the public. It isn't until Phil moves into town with lycan parents that things become a problem.Dan has to learn how to control his wolfy nature while also making and maintaining friendships. Can he do it, or will his secret be revealed to the world?
Relationships: Chris Kendall/PJ Liguori, Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Kudos: 1





	To Bite The Hand That Feeds

**Author's Note:**

> This is what I've been working on instead of doing biology homework.
> 
> TW: Swearing, mild homophobia. Let me know if I ever miss anything, please!!

**Part One - Lycan Lesters**

When Dan was growing up, he didn’t think much of anything. He loved his mum and dad and brother and felt just like any other kid would. It wasn’t until he was around five that he started to understand the pain his parents and brother felt monthly.

See, his family were all werewolves, them and some other families all living in a pack together. Dan had yet to change himself; his parents told him it would likely happen in his teens. Instead, Dan got entrusted with chaining his parents and brother up in the basement so when they transformed, they couldn’t do anything dangerous. They didn’t want to hurt any living creatures so during the full moon when their wolfy selves were the most incessant and demanding, they chained themselves up so they couldn’t escape to kill a rabbit or a deer, or, even worse, a human.

“You sure you’ll be fine?” Dan asked one final time, stepping over to the steel door which had four sturdy locks on it.

“Of course, just go before it starts,” his mother said, sighing as Dan nodded and left the room, the sound of locks clicking into place filling the basement and the staircase.

Dan didn’t particularly mind full moons. He was yet to experience one, meaning while his parents were locked up, he got to stay up late watching horror movies about vampires or human’s rather inaccurate representations of werewolves. He was aware his family was in the minority though, most of his kind enjoying the change the full moon brought and allowing themselves to run through the forest, burning off the energy that had slowly accumulated over the month. His family liked to think of themselves as a sort of vegan, choosing not to indulge their wolf-self’s need for hunting. Of course, for the rest of the month, they ate meat, it was just on that particular night they didn’t. They never wanted to maul any animal to death, and the meat they brought was always humane. It was better than nothing, right?

Dan settled onto the couch, picking up the remote to press play on  _ A Nightmare On Elm Street _ . It had been one of his favourite horror movies since he’d first seen it. He knew it was old, and the quality of the film was appalling, but he enjoyed it, sue him.

About half an hour into the film, he heard the sound of a bin being knocked over. At first, he just assumed it was a racoon before remembering how strong his wolfy family was. Sighing, he quickly paused the show and stood from his slouching position on the couch. He peeked through the window, from which you could see the door leading to the basement. His searching eyes found bright yellow ones, surrounded by an orange-gold fur that Dan recognised as his mother.

He opened the window, watching as the large wolf sniffed at the bin before sneezing and looking around.

“Mum! Go back in the basement! Now!” Dan whisper-shouted. He’d been told off for shouting at them after transformations, his parents informing him that their ears were way more sensitive than their human ones.

The wolf looked towards Dan at that point and took a step forward, sniffing in his direction.

“Mum! You need to go back in!” When the wolf ignored his orders, he quickly went out of the house and around to the side, ready to face his mother head-on. She’d win in a fight easily, Dan knew that; she was the same height as him and that was when she was on all fours. Her eyes glowed, hackles rising slightly as she assessed Dan with a curious eye.

She apparently decided she could easily beat him, her hackles rising further as a growl resonated deep in her throat. Dan growled in return, his eyes flashing a deep yellow. That was the only physical exhibition of his own wolf-ness. It happened to all of them, before and after their first transformation. A fast heartbeat always stirred their inner wolves, causing pieces of them to come flashing out. First the eyes, then the teeth, and if the infuriating thing didn’t go away, a full-blown transformation. If it got to that point, even calming down wouldn’t work; the transformation was happening and the best you could do was to get away from the public and as close to the woods as possible before it hit. And when he says hit, he means it. From the sounds his family makes, he’d compare it to being hit by ten trucks at the same time. That’s what he wasn’t looking forward to. He was excited to be a wolf, to feel the earth beneath his feet, or paws as they would be. But the pain of transforming into a wolf and back into a human always left his family exhausted, hence why his parents lounged around all morning and his brother got the day off from uni.

He focussed back on the scenario. His mother, out of the basement, hungry for something to dig her teeth into.

“Mum, I need you to go back in now,” he said, stepping slowly towards the bin where he knew they’d just chucked out a turkey that had gone off. He pulled it from the bin, grimacing as the smell found his nose. Stepping closer to his mum, he waved the meat around, catching her eager attention. He threw it hard, luckily having the corpse land inside the basement. He heard to other wolves fight against their chains to get to the meat. Dan often wondered if they even did anything to keep them sane during the full moon. Luckily his mother jumped back into the basement, only to jump up once she realised she was stuck again. Dan slid his shoe off quickly, throwing it and hitting his mother’s head, causing a whimper to come from her throat as he slammed the wooden doors shut and locked them in place with the key and an axe through the handles.

He took a seat on the couch once his mum was dealt with. He was well aware he’d need new shoes come morning. They’d tear it to shreds looking for food. Dan quickly finished his movie before switching off the tv and heading to his room. He could see the moon through his window, the bright light cascading directly onto his pillow. It was kind of a given, his family’s lives were dictated by the moon. His dad worked as a police officer in the small town they lived, his mother retiring when Luka (his brother) was born.

They’d lived in Bakewell for generations, having moved after his great-grandmother was caught and killed. His grandparents had decided a fresh start was best, moving when Maddie (his mother) was just a baby. “The best decision of Mum and dad’s life,” she liked to say often, glancing lovingly over to her husband. The story of how they met was common knowledge in their household. His mum has gone to school and his dad has instantly taken notice that she was a werewolf. He followed her home - which, side note, creepy - and met her and her parents. They became friends after that, quickly realising their common traits and trusting each other to help keep the secret.

~~~~

By the time morning rolled around, Dan’s sheets were tangled around him and he tossed and turned. He slowly opened his eyes, thanking his family for not trying to break out again. He knew because he could hear them watching tv downstairs. If they’d broken out, they’d be in the middle of some forest, naked and probably covered in god-knows-what-animal’s blood. He pulled on some clean boxers and slipped a shirt over the top.

He headed straight to the kitchen, well and truly knowing the routine after years of doing it monthly. He cooked breakfast for the four of them, bringing the plates of food to his family on the couch.

They mumbled appreciative thanks as they took the plates and began to eat slowly, their bodies still weak from being torn apart twice in one night. They sat watching the tv, their interest only being captured when the news lady reported a wolf attack the night before. They generally had their memories as a wolf in wolf form, but once they changed back, they only had their human memories, the ones from the nights spent as wolves seemed blurry and almost like a dream your forgetting.

_ “Twenty-seven-year-old Michael Coleman was found in Millburn Forest early this morning by two hiking buddies who have remained anonymous. According to Mr Coleman’s family, he suffered from Alzheimer's and tended to wander. This was the first time it had happened after dark and unfortunately, the midnight trip only ended in disaster. According to the autopsy, he was mauled by at least two wolves and passed away from lack of blood. If you wish to know more, go to channel twelve for the full coverage. This has been Nichole from Bakewell News Station. Thank you.” _

The tv changed over to some advertisement selling a product that was supposed to “refresh the mind and soul.” Honestly, Dan stopped paying attention the second three heads turned in his direction.

“You were all in the basement all night. Mum got out but I got you back in,” he said quickly, hearing three synchronized sighs of relief in response.

Luka picked up then. “But if it wasn’t us, who was it? There aren’t any other lycan’s in this area.”

“It could have just been regular wolves,” Dan suggested, hoping for the impossible. It was common knowledge wolves weren’t found naturally where they lived, there were foxes but never wolves.

His mother gave him a look that said ‘stop joking around’. Dan chose to take a seat on the coffee table instead of leaving to go clean up from breakfast. “Maybe some lycan are just moving through and got caught out?”

“Maybe, but we need to go hunting to check. Dan, check people at school. I’ll go looking in town today if I can, if not tomorrow. Speaking of, Dan you better get going if you don’t want to be late,” his mother decided, nodding her head finally as she scooped some scrambled eggs from her plate. Dan glanced at the old grandfather clock they had in the lounge and swore under his breath. If he didn’t want to be late, he’d have to run, and he hated, absolutely  _ hated _ , running.

He quickly shoved his books into his bag, got changed and put his earphones in, his phone in his back pocket. He was about to put on his shoes by the front door when he remembered the events of last night.

“Mum!” he whined. “My shoe!” he continued, seeing it placed next to the other, not destroyed shoe. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Wear your other shoes! I’ll get you some this afternoon,” she said, not apologising. It’s not like she did it, well, it was  _ her _ but  _ not her _ at the same time; she hadn’t realised the shoe was of importance, she was a wolf for god’s sake.

And so, with a sour pout on his face, he forced his feet into his ugg boots that he only liked to wear around the house or when going outside in rainy seasons. They were a hideous highlighter yellow and he was trying to prepare himself to be teased all day because of them. It’s not like he was actively bullied, he was kind of one of the middle kids: not popular but not lonely enough to be an easy target. He was happy with that, but his ugg boots would certainly make sure he’d have an interesting day.

“Love the new look,” Chris laughed, sliding into step beside him. Chris lived about halfway between the school and Dan’s home. He was nice, if kind of annoying at times.

“Shove off, Chris. I’ll hear about them enough today.”

“What happened to your boots? You know, the ones you refused to take off for forty-eight hours straight after you got them.”

Dan sighed. “They got killed, okay? I left them outside and apparently god hates me and was like ‘why don’t we make rain buckets tonight?’ Honestly fucking sucks, they were good boots.”

“Uh, Dan, you know it didn’t rain last night, right? Look at the pavement, there isn’t a single wet patch.”

It was at that perfect, oh so perfect time, that Pj came barreling into the conversation. He kissed Chris on the cheek before hugging Dan and holding Chris’ hand as they walked.

“Did it rain last night, Peej?” Chris asked, apparently not letting the topic go.

“Fucking poured mate, I’m assuming that’s why Dan’s got so much fashion today?” he laughed.

“It’s not that bad!” Dan squeaked in reply, turning onto the road their school was situated.

“It didn’t rain at all!” Chris continued to argue. Maybe God was on his side, if he just so happened to make it rain over Pj’s area so he’d agree with Dan’s honestly pretty terrible lie.

“Well, the heaven’s just like you then. I got fucking soaked when I went to feed the chickens this morning. Only stopped raining a half hour or so ago. You seriously didn’t get any rain?”

“None,” Chris said, shrugging as he admitted defeat. They turned into the school and split up, each having morning activities they needed to do before class. Pj was part of the school’s drama club and while it was usually in the afternoon, he’d offered to help build sets before school. Chris went off somewhere to smoke, a horrible habit that both Dan and Pj berated him for but couldn’t stop. And Dan, well Dan went to the library for some quiet reading before the day of hell began.

He didn’t get a chance to do that though as he caught a foul smell coming for an adjoining corridor. He turned his head, planning to find the source of that smell and destroy it. He found the source quickly enough. It was a new boy, sitting in a seat in the office as he probably waited for his timetable. On a second sniff though, Dan realised it was actually the man sitting next to the boy. He had blue-grey eyes and a thinning mop of hair on his head. I turned to the boy.

“New here?” he asked, aiming for casual.

“Yeah, I’m Phil,” the boy - Phil - said in reply, holding his hand out for Dan to shake. The boy had raven black hair and bright blue eyes which somehow shone even when inside a school’s confines. If Dan were into guys, he reckoned he’d be quite attracted to Phil. As it were, though, Dan was quite proud and happy to be straight, taking interest in girls and only girls. Sure boys could be pretty and sweet and lov- Dan ended that thought before it could continue, shaking Phil’s hand and stating his name in reply before Phil was called to the desk. Dan snuck out, needing to tell his parents the news. It  _ was _ a wolf attack last night, the news was right. And it was caused by a new family who had just moved. Dan didn’t get any sense of lycan off the boy, but the father - or presumed father - was most definitely lycan with a strong heritage. And if they were going to come in on the Howell Family’s turf, well, they’d have to set some ground rules.

**Part Two - Family Fiascos**

After Dan had informed his parents of the new lycan in the area, he made his way to his locker and then to his homeroom. He wasn’t really sure how his family was supposed to maintain dominance over the new lycan in the area but he knew his parents were powerful. They’d make it clear that the family could either follow their rules or vacate the area.

But. of course, life wouldn’t work out easy for him. Halfway through homeroom, this ‘Phil’ entered the room, the principle behind him. They had a quick conversation with the teacher before Mr Dallo (the principle) left, leaving Phil to a room full of zombie-like students; it was a Monday after all. He smiled a wide smile as Mrs Aries introduced him to the class. Philip Lester. The boy had quickly interrupted, saying he prefered ‘Phil’ and that he’d like people to call him that instead.

And since God wasn’t on his side anymore (apparently having filled his Dan-quota that morning), Phil just so happened to be told to sit next to him. Dan sat at the back of the class in the corner, as far away from anyone as possible. He didn’t like getting too close to people, only Chris and Pj really, and even them he kept secrets from.

“Hi!” Phil said taking a seat. He was far too cheery for so early in the morning and Dan groaned. Of course, he’d be stuck sat next to the one person he’d rather be dead than be near. But despite Dan’s lack of acknowledgement, Phil was determined.

“Would you mind telling me how to get to class 4B?” he asked, showing his timetable to Dan and pointing at what was first.

“Down the hall, left then right, second door on the right,” Dan answered, still looking at his book. It was a Stephen King novel,  _ Cycle Of The Werewolf _ to be specific; it was old but one of his favourites. He enjoyed reading how accurate lycan could write werewolf stories. Yes, Stephen King was a lycan, Dan had met the man before at a convention once and had known instantly. Humans made such poor attempts at writing werewolf stories, they were much better when written by someone who actually understood the species.

“Thank you,” Phil whispered to him. “What are you reading?”

Dan ignored him, there was no need for this boy to know anything about him.

“Is that Stephen King? I love him, he’s like, my favourite author ever,” Phil said excitedly, getting a ‘shh’ from the teacher as he spoke a little too loud.

“What do you want from me?” Dan snapped, calming himself before his eyes could change. He just wanted to read in peace and go about his day.

“N-nothing. It’s just, I don’t know, you’re the first person who spoke to me and I guess I thought we could be friends or something. I’m sorry.”

“Listen, I don’t care about you. I was only in the office because I was looking for something. You just happened to catch my interest, all right. It won’t happen again.”

Phil nodded, turning back to his desk and remaining silent for the rest of homeroom. He did mumble a quick apology before skittering from the room and off to his first class. Dan only felt a little bad. That kid needed to learn his place, besides he’d make friends in his other classes soon enough. He wouldn’t even remember Dan’s name.

~~~~

Classes went by quickly and before he was really aware of it, he was making his way outside to the tree he, Chris and Pj always sat under. When Chris arrived, he pulled out his snack and started munching, asking Dan how his morning classes were as he ate. When Pj showed up, things became a little more interesting.

Apparently, Pj and Phil shared their class just before lunch and Pj, being the amazing and kind person he is, invited Phil to spend lunch with them.

“This is Dan,” he said, gesturing to said person. “And this is Chris.”

“Hi!” he said sheepishly, waving his hand in a jerky motion. “I’m Phil.”

“Take a seat,” Chris mumbled to Phil, pulling Pj down by his hand so he could give him a kiss.

“Oh, are you two-?” he asked, trailing off as he gestured between them.

“Happily! And if you’re a homophobe you can go fuck off right now,” Chris said, giving Pj a side-hug. Phil just smiled and sat down.

“I’m not, don’t worry.”

After lunch, Chris and Pj went off to the next class that they shared, and Dan and Phil just so happened to share their next class too.

“Is Mr Luce any good or is he one of those teachers who just make you teach yourself?” Phil asked, walking alongside Dan.

“He’s pretty good,” Dan answered.  _ Human, _ he added in his mind.

“That’s good, I had one of those teachers at my old school, he was an ass.” Dan only nodded in reply. He needed to find out more about Phil’s parents without getting too close or revealing his secret. Phil couldn’t know he knew about lycan or that he was one. It would put his entire family in danger.

“So, was that your dad with you this morning?” he asked, hoping he just sounded casually curious and not desperate for an answer.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“What’s he like?” Phil gave him a strange look.

“Average. Embarrassing but in a dad way. He’s good.”

“And there’s nothing, I don’t know, different, about him?”

“No,” Phil answered, trailing out the ‘o’. “Why are you so curious about him anyway?”

“No reason,” Dan quickly replied. Phil simply answered with an unamused “uh-huh” before turning into the classroom, following Dan.

Phil continued to look at him as if he had three heads for the rest of the lesson, after which they didn’t see each other again for the rest of the day.

~~~~

A few days had passed and Phil had settled quite nicely into his new group of friends. He’d learnt Dan liked to tease Chris and Pj about their relationship but they teased him back about other things just as often. He’d learnt that Dan was funny but not in an obnoxious way. Phil couldn’t really control his heart every time it stuttered at the sight of the brown-haired boy. Phil knew he was falling, and falling deep he was.

A week or so after they’d moved in, Dan’s family had invited Phil’s over for dinner. When they arrived, they shared dinner, getting to know the new neighbours. There was a tension in the room Phil couldn’t explain, everyone sharing looks and glances as if afraid to break the silence.

After they’d finished eating, Dan’s mum had subtly hinted that he should take Phil upstairs so that they could discuss the new lycan and lay some ground rules. Dan obliged, offering to show Phil his room where all the band and show posters were that Phil was also a fan of. “I’m just gonna run to the bathroom,” Dan excused after showing Phil his room. “Feel free to look around,” he added, running from the room. Just because Phil had no idea what was happening didn’t mean Dan had to be left in the dark too. He quietly sat on the steps, straining his ears to hear the conversation in the kitchen.

“Why do you have a human boy with you?” his mother’s voice demanded.

“He’s our son. We adopted him because we were unable to have kids of our own. He means no harm, he doesn’t even know about lycan.”

“Then what happens each full moon?”

“We go on a date night,” they answered and judging by his mother’s reply, Dan guessed it was supposed to be sarcastic.

“You go hunting.”

“We’re lycan, it’s natural to go hunting on the full moon. I take it by your tone that you don’t raise your children that way?”

“We most certainly do not!” his mother gasped, shocked. “We want our kids to be upstanding citizens who don’t go on a murdering spree once a month.”

“Listen, that man from the other night, that was an accident. He accidentally saw us walking along the streets and panicked. We couldn’t have him knowing about us, killing him was the only option.”

“He had a family, Mark!” Dan’s dad said, probably a little louder than needed.

“Well he shouldn’t have got in the way. Listen, we know this is your territory and you want to protect it, lycan instinct and all that. But my wife and I are not going to chain ourselves up and deny our freedom every month on the full moon. You should try hunting once, it’s an amazing sensation. And there isn’t any pain when you wake, up, well there’s a lot less anyway. Hunting releases stress which makes transformations less painful.”

At that point, Dan was interrupted. “Bathroom, eh?” Phil whispered behind him, chuckling.

“Shit, you scared me,” Dan squeaked, hand flying up to his chest.

“Whoa! Your eyes!” Phil exclaimed, staring into his eyes.

“Sorry, they do that. It’s just the lighting.” Phil didn’t seem particularly convinced but he seemed to accept it as his answer and didn’t push it. “What are they talking about?” he whispered.

Dan was just about to answer when he heard the deep growl he recognised as his father. “Shit!” he whisper-shouted. “We need to go, now!” Dan snatched Phil’s hand, pulling him down the stairs and out of the house. They didn’t stop running until they were three streets away and Dan’s fangs had started coming out because he was so out of shape.

“What was that for?” Phil puffed, resting his hands on his knees as he hung his head.

“S-sorry,” Dan answered, stuttering due to the uncomfortable fangs that disrupted his talking. He squatted and looked down, willing his heart rate to slow so his eyes would go back to their usual dull brown.

“Do you have a dog or something you don’t want me to meet?” he asked, confusion in his voice.

“Y-yeah, sorry. He doesn’t really like strangers. He must have gotten out and saw your parents,” Dan lied, hoping it sounded believable. He stood back up to meet Phil’s gaze.

“My house?” he offers. Dan nodded and the two walked in silence towards Phil’s new townhouse. It wasn’t massive but it was big enough for three to live in comfortably. “And this is my room,” Phil informed, walking into the room. He’d been pointing to doors and saying what was behind it on the way there and the mini-tour ended with his room.

Dan looked around, noticing the number of blank walls. “Where are all the posters you told me you had?”

“Lost, the delivery truck got lost so they’re not here yet,” he chuckled. “I should call my mum and tell her where we are,” Phil thought allowed.

“No!” Dan shouted, stopping him from getting his phone from his pocket by pushing his hand on top of Phil’s. “No,” he said again quieter, removing his hand. “I’ve already messaged my mum and they know we’re here.”

“O-okay,” Phil said, pulling his hand back from his pocket.

“L-listen, I should be heading home but can you stay here until daylight? Just, don’t go outside, you never know what’s lurking.” Phil gave him yet another confused look.

“You’re about to go outside,” he responded.

“I can look after myself.”

“And you think I can’t?” Phil asked, sounding a little hurt.

“N-no, just, don’t, okay? I’ll message you when I get home and just, I don’t know, go to sleep or wank or something,” Dan suggested, waving his hand before leaving a now-blushing Phil in his room.

Dan ran home, remembering the route easily. He’d returned home to an empty house and a hurricane kitchen. He sighed, setting to work on cleaning it. There was nothing he could do; his family and Phil’s parents would either fight to the death or Mr and Mrs Lester would have to submit to the Howell’s demands. Dan didn’t think the latter was particularly likely but he hoped it was. He didn’t know of Phil’s past, but he’d been adopted, meaning his parents had either passed away or left him in a children’s home. Either way, Dan didn’t want Phil losing his current parents.

**Part Three - Phil’s Fright**

Chris and Pj were starting to catch on. And that thought scared Dan. They’d been friends for so many years. Back when they’d first met, Dan exhibited no lycan behaviours, no yellow eyes or sharp teeth. Dan was too young to be responsible for his family on full moons at that time so they’d had a trusted family friend chain and unchain the older Howell family members. Dan, not being needed, was often out with Chris, Pj or the both of them while the moon rose high in the sky and his family’s suffering began.

When Dan turned ten, though, his parents decided he was old enough to look after them. Mrs Baiden was threatened to be torn limb from limb if she told anyone and as far as they were aware, the women never had. They didn’t like having to threaten her, but there was no other way to really make sure she’d keep their secret safe. Eventually she had to be eliminated, her chance of sharing the secret too high. That was when Chris and Pj started hanging out more on their own. A month or so after that they started dating and Dan started discluding himself from more and more events, especially around the time of the full moon. Last month there had been a party that night and the girl Dan liked was going and asked him to come along. Chris and Pj were both really excited for him but he declined for obvious reasons. His friends didn’t really understand, and the girl hasn’t talked to him since, but it was what needed to be done.

Now though, after too many close calls, Chris and Pj had him strapped to a chair, a swinging light overhead “for aesthetic” as Pj had informed.

“Listen, I really need to be getting home now. This has all been fun and games but I’d appreciate you untying me now.” The full moon was expected to rise in exactly half an hour and Dan needed to be at home to help. Luckily he still hadn’t had his first transformation yet, so he wasn’t in direct danger. It was supposed to be next full moon, according to his parents, and Dan waited for it excitedly but with trepidation, knowing of the pain it would bring. “The first is always the worst,” his mother had said sadly as she explained what would probably happen. Dan’s eyes and teeth had started changing since the previous full moon. Phil had been living in Bakewell for two months at this point exactly, and to say Dan and him were close would be an understatement. They hadn’t kissed, but they had gotten close multiple times only to be interrupted. Dan didn’t really know what to call their relationship but it was irrelevant at that time. Dan had to get out of the ropes so he could get home, help his family and experience his own little “mini transformation” in the safety of his house.

“Not until you answer some questions,” Chris said, linking his fingers with Pj’s.

“You’re always so shady lately; why?” Pj questioned.

“Guys, I’ll answer all your questions tomorrow but I need to get home _ now _ !” he tried but his friends were determined.

“Answer our questions and we might let you go.”

“Might!? Chris, I’m not fucking around!”

“Where are you every full moon? Don’t think we haven’t noticed, you always go home straight away and never do anything, even if it’s a party with Mirabella,” Chris questioned. Mirabella was the girl he’d denied a party invite from, the girl Dan also had a crush on. Well, he didn’t anymore, but he did at that point in time.

“Family things, why does it matter?” he answered, trying to ease his friends’ minds and get out of there as quickly as lycanly possible.

“What are these family things?” Pj asked in return, completely ignoring Dan’s own question.

“Family things, I don’t have to share shit with you, especially if it’s private.”

“Well, it wouldn’t have anything to do with, I don’t know, this?” Chris grinned, pulling the chain necklace from under his shirt. Dan sniffed the air, instantly noticing it was silver. Chris’ shirt must have been hiding the smell. It was common knowledge lycan were severely allergic to silver. Dan had never come in contact with it himself but he’d heard it felt like a volcano exploding across the skin it touched and the pain got worse the longer it remained.

“Chris, what the fuck do you want me to say?” Dan said, unwilling starting to beg. He didn’t want to feel the pain, especially right before the full moon. Lycan were the most sensitive then.

“The truth,” he said. “That’s all we want Dan. We’re your friends, you’re supposed to trust us.”

“I do trust you but why the fuck did you bring silver?” Dan said a little louder than he usually would, and he only noticed his mistake after Chris’ face lit up.

“So you noticed this little thing, huh?” he said, twirling it around his finger and stepping closer to Dan. “You see, Pj and I have been doing some research. Why you’re never around on full moons, why you always run away when you’re angry, and why you have a letter from your parents excusing you from ever doing PE because that’s just not fucking fair, mate. Do you want to know what comes up?” he asked, holding the necklace pendant close to Dan’s cheek.

“N-no,” he stuttered, trying to get his head away from the pain that could so-easily come.

“Well, it came up with some legends from a long time ago,” Chris said, “about werewolves.” He paused again. “All you’ve got to do is tell us, Dan, and everything will end.”

It was at this point Pj stepped forward. “Chris stop,” he said, voice scarily still.

“What?”

“I said stop, this isn’t humane. He’s our friend, we need to trust him. He’ll tell us if we need to know something,” Pj reasoned. Dan tensed because Chris was still holding the necklace by his face.

“Are you kidding me Pj? We know what he is! What a monster he is! All I want is for him to say it! Is a little trust so much to fucking ask for?” he demanded, getting angrier by the second.

When Pj opened his mouth to reply, Dan’s screams came out. Chris had pressed the cross-shaped pendant into his cheek, holding it against him no matter how much Dan wiggled and fought.

Pj tackled Chris to the ground, the necklace falling onto Dan’s lap until he was able to shake it off and onto the floor. His secret was out in the open now and he wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Despite the pain his body was experiencing, he used his claws - and they were new - to cut the rope and stand up.

“Well this has been nice but I really need to go,” Dan said, keeping his hands behind his back and his eyes down. He knew they were yellow and his teeth sharp, there was no way they wouldn’t be.

He ran out of the school he’d been captured in and ran along the streets. His body refused, thrumming in pain but Dan kept going anyway. He needed to get home. He looked up and saw the moon on the horizon. Panicking, he ran even faster until he collapsed, screaming as something inside him  _ snapped _ . Porch lights of the house he’d fallen in front of flickered on and soon a shadow was coming out to check on him.

“Dan, what are you doing? Get up,” the voice ushered and somewhere through the pained haze, Dan recognised the shadow and voice.

“Ph-Phil,” he mumbled, trying to say more but not being able to.

“Dan? Dan, what’s going on?” Phil asked, worried as he ran his hands over Dan’s body, trying to find the source of the pain even though there was none.

“Ph-Phil, h-hurts, p-p-please m-make it-t s-stop,” he whimpered, curling into Phil’s lap and into himself further.

“S-something, need t-to tell y-you,” he gasped out.

“Shh shh, that can wait, save your energy.”

“N-no, l-l-lycan,” Dan stuttered out.

“What? What is that?”

“W-were-w-wolf,” he stuttered out again, and he watched through tear clouded eyes as Phil’s face went from confusion to fear to a careful nothingness.

“What? Dan stop messing with me,” he said sounding scared and a little hurt. Dan only managed a whimper as three of his bones tore themselves apart at the same time, eliciting a scream from the boy.

“Shh shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” Phil whispered and if Dan weren’t in such poor condition, he’d question Phil about his sanity for handling everything so well. Surely he should be freaking out as Chris had done, and Pj for a short while.

Everything tore itself to pieces inside Dan’s skin, screams turning to whimpers turning to growls as Dan grew hair all across his body and grew in size. Maybe ten minutes of suffering later and Dan was experiencing his wolf-self for the first time. He felt incredible, like he could do anything. His ears twitched at the sound of a branch snapping and he turned his head, baring his teeth in the direction of the noise.

“D-Dan?” a scared voice said from under him, causing Dan to turn his head back down. A growl came deep from his throat, his face contorting into what looked like a scowl of a dog ready to kill.

“It-It’s okay Dan,” Phil said, shuffling backwards so he could get up, holding his hands out in front after he’d done so. Dan’s teeth remained bared as Phil carefully reached out a hand, slowly reaching and placing it gently on the side of Dan’s large head. He was around the same size as Phil, tall enough to look Phil in the eye without tilting his head at all.

“There you go,” Phil said, scratching lightly behind Dan’s ear, causing the scowl to drop from his lips. “Do you want to come inside?” he asked lightly. Dan didn’t listen, well, he didn’t understand. He was a wolf for fuck’s sake, he couldn’t speak or comprehend English. Phil started to head towards the house though, and Dan followed him like a lost puppy. He wasn’t sure why but he seemed to have this instinct that told him to trust the black-haired boy, that he would bring no harm. He also wasn’t sure why his family tied themselves up, this was so so so much better. He could feel their suffering like a sixth sense. He just  _ knew _ they weren’t happy and that they were in pain.

Phil led the wolf to the couch after struggling to fit him through the doorway. He seemed on edge as Phil took a seat but Dan continued to wander, sniffing every small thing. Phil didn’t think much of it when Dan walked through the doorway and into the kitchen, only rethinking it once a growl was emitted from the room next to him. He quickly shot up, needing to see what it was that was upsetting his wolfy friend. As soon as he stepped into the titled room, he saw Opal (his cat) on the floor, sneering back at Dan.

“Dan, Dan it’s okay, she won’t hurt you, don’t worry,” he said, trying to calm the spooked animal. When he lightly placed his hand on his shoulder, Dan spun and snapped at him. “Dan!” Phil shouted, panicking. The wolf only growled and Phil felt like he had no choice in this.

“Down,” Phil said, trying to sound like he was in charge. Dan whimpered as his ears flattened against his head, yellow eyes sizing Phil up before choosing to lie down submissively. “Good,” Phil said again, walking over to pick up Opal despite the sneeze that instantly tried to rip itself from his nose.

He debated calling his parents. They always stayed in a hotel after date nights, Phil didn’t really like to think about what they could (and probably would) be doing. Either way, they probably didn’t want to be interrupted, and Phil didn’t even know if they’d believe him if he said his friend turned into a wolf and was now roaming the house. And so he decided not to contact his parents, choosing just to wait it out. He’d learnt the key to controlling Dan, after all.

He let Dan wander around the house, holding the cat in his arms as he watched tv. His eyes caught any slight movement, seeing any flick of the ears Dan made or any swipe of his tail. It felt weird having a werewolf in his home, his instincts were telling him to kick it out or just set it on fire but inside he knew it was Dan, his best friend and the love of his life. Dan meant no harm, he knew that, and so he cuddled Opal on the couch as Dan explored, occasionally knocking something off a shelf with his broad shoulders or large tail.

~~~~

When Phil’s eyes snapped open, it was to a bark-like howl that came from the floor below him. It was somehow morning now and Phil thanked Dan for not eating his cat, seeing the ball of fluff sleep peacefully on the window-sill.

He focussed back on the wolf underneath him, watching for a second as the sleeping animal kicked before stilling, whimpers coming from its mouth.

“Dan, it’s okay,” he said, sliding onto the floor so he could be in front of him.

A loud crack ran through the house, a broken bark coming from Dan’s mouth directly after.

“Hey, hey it’s okay,” Phil soothed, running his hand through the fur along his body. It was at that exact moment Phil heard the sound of a car door slamming. “Shit, Dan? Dan, you’ll be okay,” he said, trying to ignore his parents’ yells.

“Phil? We’re home,” they said; they sounded tired as always.

“In the lounge,” he shouted, focussing on Dan and keeping him calm as his body pulled itself apart some more.

“Whe- Phil why are you on the floor- oh,” his mother started to say before her eyes landed on the giant wolf.

“Mum, I know this is weird and confusing but this is Dan. He’s-he’s a werewolf or something,” Phil explained over Dan’s whimpers and cries.

She only nodded, sharing a look with her husband.

“He’s changing,” she said, “Phil, go get some clothes, he’ll change back naked.”

“Wha-how do you know?” Phil asked as his mother pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over Dan’s still fur-covered hips.

“I’ll explain later, okay, just do as I say.” Phil nodded, beyond confused but trusting his mum; she seemed to know what was happening after all.

“Okay, Dan, I need you to listen to my voice, okay, Sweetie?” she said kindly. That was all Phil heard as he left the room to grab some clothes from upstairs.

By the time he was back down, Dan was a terrifying form of half-human and half-wolf. He was mostly human-shaped, but his legs still didn’t hinge properly in the hip, and his body was still covered in some fur.

After another ten-twenty minutes or so, Dan was blinking his eyes open slowly, taking in his surroundings. His sleepy eyes widened quickly though as he realised he had no boxers on, nor any other article of clothing. He changed a glance at Mrs Lester before quickly looking to Phil, seeing the clothes he was holding out and grabbing them.

“Wha-What happened?” he said. Talking felt weird, his entire body felt weird, like he was in the wrong body.

“You had your first transformation,” Mrs Lester explained simply. “The first ones are always the longest and since you were cooped up, you’re exhausted and probably quite sore.”

“Phil?” he asked, eyes trailing over to Phil. His friend wasn’t looking at him through, his eyes staring straight at his mother with shock and confusion.

“Philip, we’ll explain this later, but your father and I are like Dan, we’re all lycan. That was why we had dinner at the Howell’s home a few weeks back.

“B-But that’s not possible. I’ve known you all my life that’s not possible!” Phil shouted, getting up on his feet.

“Phil, we just never told you,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm. Phil simply shook his head, his mind clearly choosing for him that this was not manageable.

“Stop fucking lying to me!” he shouted, running from the room. The sound of his bedroom door slamming shut rung through the house after ten seconds.

“We’ll go to the kitchen, come find us or call for us when you’re dressed, okay?”

“Y-yeah, thank you.”

“It’s no problem, Sweetie,” Mrs Lester said, patting his shoulder lightly before getting back onto her feet and leaving the room with her husband.

Dan quickly got dressed, staying under the blanket despite being alone in the room. When he’d entered the kitchen, Phil’s mum had a plate of scrambled eggs with toast on the side.

“Thank you,” he said, taking the plate and pulling out a chair to sit.

“It’s okay. I’m going to go get Phil, okay? I think he’d like to have you here for this conversation.” Dan nodded and continued eating, waiting for Phil to come down. Eventually, he did, taking a seat next to Dan and slipping his hand under the table to hold Dan’s. He squeezed back, comforting Phil through touch alone.

“Okay, Phil. We’ll explain everything and at the end, you can ask any questions you want, okay?” Phil nodded, and so the stories began. How lycan existed in the first place, why no one knew about them, why they kept it a secret from him, everything.

“But I don’t understand; if Dan is just like you, how come he was still a wolf when you got home this morning?” he questioned. He seemed to be taking everything reasonably well considering his initial outburst at the news.

“First transformations are always slower. Your father and I go running and exploring so we use all our energy throughout the night. Dan and his family choose to stay cooped up, meaning it’s more painful and takes longer for the transformations. But the first is always longer than usual anyway.”

Dan, Phil and his parents continued to talk for a while, explaining as clearly as possible why it was so important no one knew of their secret. Phil agreed to keep it a secret, eventually being excused with Dan and asking if the boy wanted to go into town with him.

“It’s a date,” Dan had said cheekily, grinning as a blush formed on Phil’s cheeks.

**Part Four - Forest Fevers**

After their first date, they’d decided they’d refer to each other as boyfriends but nothing else would change. Neither was particularly ready for a relationship but they wanted to share their lives together as something more than best friends.

At the top of the Ferris wheel, Phil had kissed Dan. They were both shy but melted into the kiss easily, enjoying the feel of the other’s mouth pressed against theirs. When Dan had pulled away to breathe, he started into Phil’s eyes, seeing the velvet dusting on his cheeks that Dan could feel on his own as well.

The skin on his cheek was still healing, the sign of a cross imprinted onto his cheek until it finished. Luckily though, no one questioned it. He hadn’t even told his parents when they demanded an answer. While they didn’t necessarily want to, they could and would kill Chris and Pj if they found out about their forbidden knowledge. And so, he kept it a secret from his family.

Dan and Phil were getting closer as the weeks went on, now sharing not-so-secret kisses, holding hands and even cuddling in bed that one time Dan had had a bad day. Chris and Pj were happy for them, even if they were still a little untrusting of Dan. They’d explained the situation to the others, and they’d agreed not to tell anyone after ignoring Dan and Phil for a week out of spite.

“Heard you got yourself a boyfriend, huh Howell?” William sneered. He was new to the school and seemed to believe he was above everyone else. There was no one he wasn’t afraid to walk on top of, meaning Dan wasn’t safe either.

“What of it? You jealous?” he snapped back. He knew he couldn’t get into a fight with William, he’d surely transform if he did. He’d had to start being more careful; since his first transformation had passed, he could change at any time if his heart-rate got too high.

“You’re fucking disgusting mate,” he spat, glaring at Dan with his arms crossed.

“Your opinion; I happen to think you’re revolting but we’d disagree on that too.”

“Don’t get too fucking cocky mate, it’ll come back to bite you.”

“Bite, you say?” Dan said, flashing his fangs at William. He knew it was risky but he just wanted to be left alone.

“W-what the fuck? What are you?” he stuttered out, fear rather than confidence in his eyes and voice.

“Your worst nightmare,” he replied, shining his yellow-gold eyes too. That was something he’d learnt to control, his eyes and teeth came out when he was agitated but he could also force them if he wanted to for whatever reason.

“Stay the fuck away from me you freak!” William shouted, backtracking before running away.

“Dan, did you just do what I think you did?” Phil asked, wrapping his arm around Dan’s torso and resting his head on his shoulder. Dan chuckled, turning his head so he could see his boyfriend behind him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dan whispered, kissing Phil’s cheek once he finished.

“Really?” he laughed.

“Really. Now where are we going, are you ever going to tell me?” he asked, linking his hand with Phil as the older boy led him through the school.

“It’s a surprise, I’ve told you this,” he said, opening the car door for Dan. It was their one month anniversary, which didn’t seem like much to anyone else, but to the two of them, it signified a month of loving each other and knowing that love was requited.

“You know it’s a full moon tonight, right?” he asked as he buckled his seatbelt and Phil pulled out from his spot.

“Yes, I’ll have you back before dark, don’t worry your pretty little head, my love.”

~~~~

Let’s just say Phil didn’t have Dan home before dark. They may have gotten a little touchy-feely in the forest by the river on the picnic blanket Phil had set up, and Dan may have started changing right after they finished. Instead of panicking though, Dan (as a wolf) knew Phil was to be trusted now. Instead of growling at the boy, Phil patted him by the river and eventually went for a run with Dan. The boy sat on his back, hands fisted in the large amounts of fur, as they ran through the forest, wind blowing in hair and fluff and grins on both their faces.

Yeah, Phil was okay with having a supernatural boyfriend, especially if he got to go exploring the forests with him once a month.

**Author's Note:**

> Well? What did you think?
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated and any constructive feedback is wonderful! Thank you for reading!


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